Asahi Dassai 45 Junmai Daiginjo, Japan (£14.99, 30cl, london sake) What drinks go well with Japanese food? The plural is important here because, as with other cuisines, the pretty obvious answer is “It depends on the type of Japanese food.” For example, there’s no reason why a drink that goes well with delicate sushi would also go well with the rich flavor of thin pieces of meat cooked quickly shabu-shabu style in a bubbling soup. Yet, despite its diversity, Japanese food has some common traits: delicate flavours, scientific attention to texture and presentation, and rich umami. Indeed, everything is right on the menu at Japanese restaurant Ginza in stylish St. James, where London-based Italian sommelier Angelo Lorrea picks the ideal pairings. He’s clearly thought a lot about pairings, and while Japan’s national drink, sake, inevitably takes center stage, Asahi Dassai 45 Junmai Daiginjo’s soft-focus melon and mango complement the spider-tender sashimi. It gently enhances the.
Forza della Natura Orange Catarratto, Italy 2022 (£8.99, waitrose) L’Orea doesn’t stick to food and drink combinations that “grow together, they grow together.” His selections are decidedly international, and one of the most fun and imaginative pairings I’ve had in Ginza is his Pinot Noir 2021 (£19.25, whiskey exchange) Contains Wagyu beef. Now, Austria isn’t usually a place I go for Pinot Noir, and I don’t like Pinot Noir of any kind if I eat beef, but in this case, the wine’s silky, fine-grained tannins were totally It was the same thing. Harmony with the melting texture of beef. Another textural hit is an Italian orange wine (Tenuta Sant’Agostino Bucce Duva Malvasia Trebbiano from Campania) with an herbal, apricot-like acidity and a gentle grip. The king crab tempura was feather-light but flavorful and rich in minerals. This could be recreated in a slightly more modest style at home with some rough and ready tempura with giant prawns and a glass of Waitrose lemon zest and spicy Sicilian orange wine for great value. It’s a combination.
Grace Koshu Chigatake, Japan 2022 (from £19.29, About wine, strictly wine, innovative wine) One style of drink that Angelo Lorea didn’t suggest when I visited Ginza, but that I think was born to go with Japanese cuisine, is dry sherry. Manzanilla features salty marintin, seaweed and soleá barbadillo Manzanilla (£12.49; waitrose) A quick and civilized lunch idea with rice ball triangle wrap. The style is a fusion of umami and umami, as are richer dry sherry and miso-based drinks such as oloroso (Morrisons Oloroso, £6.50 for 37.5cl, but it gets the job done). Finally, I have become increasingly impressed with the quality of Japanese wine. The most distinctive wine is produced from the native Koshu grape. It’s also modest. Don’t expect big flavors from producers like Yamanashi’s Grace. To pair with sushi, expect a dry white wine that’s light, elegant, floral and citrusy, and deceptively sharp.
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